INDIANAPOLIS —
As he sprawled across the court, initially diving for the loose ball before crawling in further pursuit, Jaime Jaquez Jr. inspired a city, a team and two nations.
Watching on television from his friend’s sports bar in Bell, Lorenzo Mata found himself spellbound by his successor as the latest Mexican American sensation from UCLA on the verge of a Final Four.
“I was like, man, that’s a winning player,” Mata said, “and that’s contagious to the whole team.”
Two days earlier, Earl Watson, whose maternal grandparents emigrated from Guadalajara to Texas long before he starred at point guard for the Bruins two decades ago, was similarly riveted by Jaquez’s dribble side-step three-pointer in overtime.